The present invention relates to methods of raising the transmission and/or communication cables and other hardware carried by a utility pole without disturbing the pole foundation or necessitating disconnecting and reconnecting the cables and other framing and hardware.
The electric utility industry is seeking to correct existing ground clearance problems or increase the capacity of existing electric power transmission lines while maintaining the ground clearance which must be observed below the height of the power transmission cables or lines. Utilities have increased the ampacity carried by power lines to meet ever-increasing peak loading conditions, such as, for example, occur with seasonal air-conditioning loads. This increased ampacity heats up the lines, which then begin to sag further.
Typically, the industry has added a pole top extension to the top end of a utility pole to eliminate the need to replace or change out the existing utility pole. When pole top extensions are utilized, the power lines, communication lines, and other equipment carried must be disconnected and reconnected to the top of the pole extension which, of course, results in considerable downtime for the entire power transmission or communication system. Moreover, such pole top extensions are not rated for heavy equipment such as transformer support, and in many instances, the only acceptable approach has been to remove the pole and replace it with a longer pole.
For a discussion of conventional, commercial extensions which have been used in very recent years, attention is invited to U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,946, which I incorporate herein by reference.